Our View: Tough loss, with apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning

We love a Boston team with blue-collar values of hard work, high hopes and grace under pressure.

We love the fans who understood the time for cheering and the time for silence in one of the city's darkest hours.

We love a roster full of athletes who fight for the team goal, despite broken legs or ribs. We love the disciplined play that kept them out of the penalty box for much of the championship series against the Chicago Blackhawks.

We love the plain-spoken coach, amiable, accessible and articulate.

We love the team captain who, when asked before Game 6 whether the team had reached its physical limit, skated off to take care of business with the words, "We'll see about that."

We love the goaltender, who would have been a strong contender for the Conn Smythe Trophy had the balance tipped the other way on just a couple plays.

We love the rookie defensemen who stepped up during the playoff run, competing and contributing beyond their years.

We love the "Hunch Line," and what it says about the coach, about teamwork and about serendipity.

We love that all these qualities are displayed in a sport that delivers a full 60 minutes (sometimes more) of breakneck action; uneven matchups and empty net situations that look just like the pond hockey we remember as kids; non-stop substitutions; unparalleled eye-hand coordination; and courage.

We love that despite a lockout-shortened season, we were entertained so thoroughly that we gladly and with real anticipation say, "Wait till next year."

We love the Black and Gold.

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